Conventionally, an absorbent article such as a disposable diaper or a sanitary napkin is generally manufactured by using a manufacturing line in which an absorber, for example, is arranged sequentially on a continuous web conveyed by a belt conveyor, for example, and the manufacturing line includes a step of folding and a step of cutting the continuous web.
In such a manufacturing line, generally, an ejection mechanism is provided, by which an absorbent article for which a processing failure is determined is disengaged from the manufacturing line, and the absorbent article is ejected in the course of the manufacturing line. Because the manufacturing line operates at a high speed, normally, a plurality of preceding and succeeding absorbent articles including the absorbent article for which a processing failure is determined are ejected in succession.
Therefore, an ejection method by which the plurality of absorbent articles are ejected after printing a number and a symbol on the absorbent article is known (for example, see PTL 1). Specifically, continuous numbers, or symbols such as a circle and a triangle are printed on the plurality of absorbent articles, and the plurality of absorbent articles on which the numbers or the symbols are printed are ejected.
According to such an ejection method, the operator can easily adjust the timing of ejection of the absorbent article such that among the plurality of absorbent articles that are ejected, the position of the absorbent article for which a processing failure is determined is generally at the center (for example, the third absorbent article when five absorbent articles are ejected).